A Christmas Miracle
by SpeedlesChic
Summary: Christmas is just around the corner and for Eric Delko and Tim Speedle's widow it's not the happiest time of the year. All they want for Christmas is to have Speedle back. Will they get their wish? Read along and find out.
1. Chapter 1

Christmas was fast approaching, and the streets of Miami were shrouded with shoppers and vacationers. The street lamps were decorated with fake green garland and Christmas lights. The shop windows had been painted with scenes of snowman, snowflakes, and Christmas trees. The only thing missing was the actual snow, but a couple shops had attempted with some fake snow, but it just wasn't the same.

One of those shops was a little diner named, Dudley's Diner. "I just love this time of year. People are so happy and cheerful," said a waitress named Shirley Tonks as she took her customer's order. "What can I get you miss?"

"I'll just have a cup of coffee. I'm not hungry," said the young woman, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Are you sure? You look like you could use some food. Cheer up honey it's, Christmas!"

The young woman gave a half smile as she played with her necklace. "Christmas… it's supposed to be the happiest time of the year that's filled with laughter and good cheer." Shirley Tonks gave the woman a confused look. "I still miss him. It's been three years since my husband died." Shirley looked closer at the woman, and it was then she recognized her. She was the widow of Officer Tim Speedle of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Lauren Speedle.

Shirley gasped, "Oh honey, I'm so sorry. Officer Speedle was such a good man." She took a seat in the booth a crossed from Lauren. "My fourteen year old daughter had a crush on him-" but she stopped talking when she realized the last thing she said was inappropriate. "I'm sorry…"

Lauren sniffled, "It's o-okay… I'll just have some coffee, please."

"Let me buy you some dinner, honey. I know Officer Speedle wouldn't want to see you like this."

The front door to the diner opened, and a young woman with dirty blonde hair entered. She looked around, and when she spotted Lauren she half walked half ran over to her. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you," said Margaret Potter-Lovitt, Lauren's older sister. Shirley scooted out of the booth. Margaret took her place.

"Can I get you anything Miss?" Shirley asked Margaret.

"Um, I'll have a glass of water for now, but can I get four… no make it five number threes to go. One with just cheese and ketchup, another one with no cheese but mustard and ketchup, and the rest just as is… oh and instead of a coke can I have a strawberry shake with one of the combos?"

Shirley smiled, "Yes of course. Would you like that order put in now?" Margaret nodded yes. She turned back to her sister, but before she could say anything Lauren spoke.

"Is Mark extra hungry tonight or something? You ordered one extra burger and fries, and I don't think Briar-Rose or Aaron could eat two." Shirley brought their drinks out. Briar-Rose, 4, and Aaron, 6, were her and her husband, Mark's children.

Margaret laughed, "He wishes. It's for you. You're coming over for dinner and you're going to eat it. Mark, the kids, and I are having a Christmas movie night. They want you there. You have no choice. Mom and dad are going to be there too." She took a sip of her water then rubbed her belly; Lauren noticed. He sister loved coffee and the only time she didn't order it was when she was pregnant; Lauren decided to wait to say something.

"Eric and I are going to see Speed when he gets off work. He's going to meet me here," Lauren said looking down into her coffee mug.

Margaret sighed in frustration. "Lauren, look at me please." Lauren slowly looked up at her sister already knowing what she would say. "You need to spend time with your family. Ever since… ever since Tim was killed you've been… kind of distant. The kids miss you. Mom and dad miss you. Mark and I miss you. You need to spend time with your family." She paused then continued, "but if you must go then go. The food will be waiting for you, and you know we're all here for you."

Lauren's bottom lip started to quiver, and tears began to fall down her cheekbones. She began to play with her necklace again; it held her and Speed's wedding rings. "You don't understand… you don't understand! Tim is my family. He's my husband. He's gone, Maggie. I'll never get to have kids, I'll never get to know what it's like to be pregnant, I'll never have what Tim and I had… you… don't… understand." She put her head in her hands and began to sob.

It had been three year since she had lost her husband. He had been shot in the line of duty. Lauren  
could still clearly see the images in her head of that day; they constantly replayed in her head over and over again.

Before Speed's death, Lauren worked for the Miami-Dade Police Department as well. She had been a CSI like her husband. After his death, Lauren couldn't be there anymore. She couldn't even stay in the same house. Margaret and her husband said she could come stay with them and she did, but after awhile it didn't feel right to, Lauren. Mark and Margaret had just welcomed their first child. She stayed a few months after her nephew was born then left feeling like she was crowding the new family.

Not knowing what to do, Lauren called, Eric Delko. He gladly offered to let her stay with him, but soon that offer faded when he found out his sister, Marisol was ill with cancer. They both knew it was best she moved out. It broke his heart to let her go.

Finding herself in the same situation she was in several months ago, she turned to the person who knew what it was like to lose someone they loved, Lt. Horatio Caine. When he was a young adult, Horatio saw his mother get murdered by his own father, and about eight years ago he lost his brother, Detective Raymond Caine in an undercover operation gone wrong. He took her in before she could even get her words out; Lauren still lived with him.

Margaret got up from her side of the booth, and sat down next to her still grieving sister. "You're right I don't know what it's like, and I would never want to experience what you're going through. But if I did I would want my family there helping me get through it. Mark, Aaron, and Briar-Rose keep asking about you. They miss you. Mom and dad miss you too." She paused a moment then continued, "I'm not going to stop you from going to the cemetery. I know you wouldn't stop me, but think about coming over. Like I said, it's family movie night. Mom and dad will be there too." Margaret wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her tight. "I love you," she whispered in Lauren's ear. "Oh and one more thing… we need our holiday photos taken. Briar-Rose is especially excited."

After leaving CSI, Lauren became a full-time photographer. She had always loved it and decided to pursue a Bachelor's Degree. "We were hoping you could do that tonight." Margaret smiled hoping she could get her sister to do the same.

"We'll see…" Lauren mumbled. Margaret's heart dropped a little, but knew she shouldn't push her sister into anything she didn't want to do.

Shirley came back out with Margaret's dinner order and told Lauren the coffee was on her. Lauren thanked her and both sisters scooted out of the booth to stand up. "Well, I'm going to go, I see Eric coming, but please consider what I've told you." She gave Lauren one last hug before leaving.


	2. Chapter 2

The Miami-Dade Cemetery was beautiful this time of year; the gravestones were decorated in Christmas wreaths. Neither Lauren nor Eric thought of a cemetery being beautiful, but then again they wouldn't settle for anything cheap and dirty looking. Speed deserved the best of the best.

There were a few other people visiting when Eric and Lauren arrived. Lauren linked her arm with Eric's as they walked the short distance from his car to the Speed's gravestone. In her free hand Lauren held a half dozen of red roses, the number of years they would have been married; the two had gotten married on Christmas day. One couple that had been there when Lauren and Eric arrived passed them and said, "Merry Christmas."

When they were a few feet away Eric let go of Lauren's arm, and bent down to take the old dried up flowers out of the holder. Lauren grabbed the little cup and dumped what little water was left, out. She handed it to Eric, and he filled it up with fresh water. Lauren removed the clear cellophane wrapper and placed the flowers in the vase. "Hey Speed," Eric said, Lauren sat down in front of Speed's gravestone.

Lauren could feel a knot start to form in her throat. "Merry Christmas." She sat silent. "You're not going to believe this, Speed, but Horatio and my sister just got married a couple months ago. I was totally against him and Marisol getting married, but after awhile I realized they were perfect for each other. He helped her a lot during her cancer treatments when I couldn't be there for her. I think it was love at first sight." He chuckled a little and looked down at Lauren, who had tears in her eyes. "That's not all either, Speed. Marisol just found out she's pregnant with twins. Can you believe that? I'm so happy for her. She's been through a lot. She and Horatio both deserve to be happy." A small sob escaped Lauren's mouth. Eric knelt down next to her and pulled her into a tight hug.

Several moments passed before Lauren spoke, "Merry Christmas, Timmy. I miss you so much and I love you." She sniffled. "I guess I got some news for you. Maggie and Mark are expecting another baby… well she hasn't officially told me, but I know. She refused coffee today at Dudley's. We all know that woman loves her coffee, and the only time I've seen her refuse it was when she was pregnant with Aaron and Briar-Rose… as for me… well nothing new. I'm still doing my freelance photography, which I love a lot. It helps me take my mind off of things." Lauren wiped her tears away. "My parents don't understand why I keep holding onto you and our rings. They want me to move on. No, they told me to move on. My mom even threatened to take away the rings… they don't know what it's like to lose someone they love. They don't know what it's like! I know you would want me to move on and I've tried. I really have. But I can't. I can't Timmy. I don't know what to do. Can you please just give me a sign that everything is going to be okay, and that my life will be normal again?" Lauren sat waiting for some sort of sign. Nothing came. "Tim please, tell me everything is going to be okay," she sobbed and pleaded.

Eric sat down this time, behind Lauren, and wrapped his arms around her again. He whispered in her ear, "Everything will be okay. I promise, Lauren." He kissed her temple and then her cheek. "Everything is going to be okay."

"Do you ever feel or see Tim around you Eric?" Lauren asked out of the blue.

He took in a deep breath then exhaled and said, "Sometimes I can feel him. It's mostly at work on cases. I would ask myself, 'what would Speed do,' then a moment later get my answer, but I've never actually seen his ghost… sometimes I wish I could… you know."

Lauren sniffled and said, "I wish I could just feel him around me. Why can't I feel him Eric?'

Eric sighed and hugged her tighter. "I don't know, Lauren. I'm sorry, but if you look at it, I really don't feel him around me either. It's more of a mind game."

"At least you can do that." She let out a small sob.

Eric sighed again. "Lauren you need to stop being so hard on yourself. I know it's hard for you. It's hard for all of us, but Speed wouldn't want you to be like this. He'd want you to move on and experience life, travel."

Lauren leaned back into him. "I know Eric, but I can't. Do you know how many times I've tried so hard to move on? I can't. There is something inside me telling me I shouldn't."

They sat in silence for a moment. "Do you think I'm crazy Eric… for holding on so long?"

"No Lauren, I don't think you're crazy. I just think it's taking you a lot longer than your family expected. He was your husband. You loved him very much, and he loved you very much. I saw something in you two that I hardly ever see. What you and Speed had was more than special."

"You're the best Eric. I love you. You're like the brother I never had."

He smiled. "You're the best too, Lauren, and don't worry about what your family thinks right now. Everyone has their own ways of getting over a lost loved one." He let go of her and stood up. Eric held out his hand for Lauren and she took it. "It's getting late. My mother is cooking a Cuban dinner tonight. I can't miss that," he said rubbing his belly. Lauren laughed. "There's that pretty smile of yours."

"Thanks Eric… for everything that you've done. I really appreciate it, a lot. And yes, I better get going. My sister wants me to do a little Christmas photo shoot with the kids."

"You're welcome… well then let's go. I'll take you back to Dudley's." With that Eric and Lauren said their goodbyes to Speed, and headed out.

* * *

Over in the distance, a man watched the two as they walked back to Eric's SUV and drove off into the streets of Miami.


	3. Chapter 3

Lauren pulled up into her sister and brother-in-laws driveway. She had to stop back off at Horatio and Marisol's place to pick up her camera gear for the photo shoot. She looked to her right and noticed her parents' car. Lauren sighed and prayed they would leave her alone and not ask questions. She didn't know how much more she could take. They just didn't understand what it was like to lose their significant other. Lauren said a little prayer then exited her car and grabbed her camera gear.

When Lauren reached the front door, she knocked. Soon after the door opened and two little voices yelled, "AUNT LAUREN!"

"Hi guys! How are you?" Lauren said smiling at her niece and nephew.

"Good! Mommy said that she didn't know if you'd come or not," Briar-Rose said hugging her aunt's legs.

"I'm good too… you need help with you stuff Aunt Lauren," Aaron asked.

"Yeah, here you can take my tripod, honey." Aaron carefully took the black tripod from her and headed into the living room. Briar-Rose asked if she could help too, and Lauren let her take the smaller camera bag.

The living room was empty, so Lauren set her stuff down and headed into the only other room her family would gather in, the kitchen. "Hey guys," Lauren said entering the heart of the house.

Margaret excitedly jumped out of her chair and hugged her sister. She was glad she came. She was starting to get worried about her. "Hey, I'm so glad you came. That burger and fries is still waiting for you."

Lauren shrugged her shoulders. "That's okay. I'm not that hungry. I grabbed something before I left Horatio and Marisol's place, but thank you."

Carol Potter, Lauren and Margaret's mother chimed in, "Carrots and celery sticks don't count as a real dinner." Lauren gave her mother a dirty look. Her father, Steve Potter kept quiet. "I'm just saying, honey. You look like you're wasting away. I don't think Tim would approve."

"For crying out loud mother leave her alone. How do you even know what she ate for dinner? If she  
doesn't want it she doesn't have to eat it," Margaret defended.

Lauren walked over to the kitchen table, sat down and started eating the food. "I'll eat it if that's what you want, but don't ever bring up Tim like that again," she said firmly. Lauren ate the burger and fries in silence as she thought about Speed. Just one mention of his name and all the emotions of losing him would come back.

Shortly after eating, Lauren began to set up her mini photography studio while Briar-Rose, Aaron, Mark, and Margaret changed into their Christmas outfits. The Lovitt family wanted studio photos along with casual photos. Margaret wanted to capture the wonderful moments of decorating the Christmas tree and putting up the lights. Carol and Steve kept quiet as their youngest daughter set her equipment up.

* * *

Later on, cleaning up after the photo shoot Lauren did with her family, Margaret came a crossed her sister's purse. Something was sticking out of it; it looked like a photograph. Being naturally curious she went to pick it up. Margaret gasped and cupped her mouth with her hand. The photo was a sonogram. She looked up in the direction of her sister. She didn't understand why Lauren didn't tell her, they told each other everything. Margaret's brow furrowed together, and she looked at the picture again, she rolled her lips and put the picture in her pocket. She got up and walked over to her sister and asked to speak with her alone. "What's wrong, you look worried. Is everything okay?" Lauren asked confused.

"What's going on with you?"

"W-what? What do you mean what's going on with me? I was cleaning up the stuff from the shoot. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." She looked her sister over. "Are you sure nothing's going on? Nothing you want to tell me?"

"Uh... no I don't think so. Should I be telling you something?" Lauren was becoming more and more  
confused at her sister's behavior.

Margaret stared at her sister, her facial expression suddenly changed, from concerned to annoyed. She crossed her arms and her body language shifted to pissed off. "I think you're hiding something. You've never kept secrets from me. We tell each other everything."

Lauren stared blankly at her not knowing what to say. Her mood started to change too. "Well, it looks like you're going to have to tell me because I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not hiding anything. I don't do anything except work and help Eric's sister around the house."

Margaret was mad, "Oh yeah?" she said grabbing the photo in her pocket, and slammed it down on the counter. "What's this? Looks like a big secret to me!" She exhaled and turned around. She took a few breaths and said calmly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Lauren looked sadly at the sonogram picture and said calmly, "I'm not pregnant." Tears began to fall from her eyes.

Margaret slightly turned. "What?"

"I'm not pregnant." She reached out her hand to grab the sonogram photo. Lauren's bottom lip started to quiver.

"I heard that. I meant what, why, how?" She fully turned back to her sister and her eyebrows knit together again with a look of concern.

Lauren struggled to keep herself together. "About a year after Tim and I got married we found out we were expecting. We were both so excited." She stopped a moment to wipe her tears away. "Then when he and I went for a second ultrasound the um... the doctor couldn't find the baby and its heartbeat... I lost it." Lauren looked down again at the picture. She could see the look on Speed's face when he found out their child was gone.

Margaret immediately threw her arms around her sister. Lauren sobbed into her sister's shoulder as the memories came back to her. Margaret rubbed her sister's back and smoothed her sister's hair and softly shushed her. "We didn't say anything because it was so early, and then this happened. So we decided we weren't going to say anything at all... I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I don't care anymore, I'm not mad. Don't be sorry."

She held Lauren and she cried even more. "My life just keeps falling apart Maggie. All I want is Tim to be back. I just want him back."

"I know you do, we all do."

Lauren pulled back and looked at her sister. "Please don't tell mom or dad about this. I don't want them to know right now."

"Sister secrets. As it was, as it is and as it ever will be."

"Thanks." Lauren smiled. "You can tell Mark if you want. I know you do."

"Mark may know a lot of our secrets, but I won't tell him if you don't want me too."

Lauren shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't matter."

"Later, but right now let's go out in the living room, and have some fun with the kids. We need to wear them down so they'll sleep well tonight. I don't have the energy to stay up late." Lauren nodded her head, took the photo from her sister, and put it in her pocket before heading into the living room.


	4. Chapter 4

Out in the living room, Mark was on the floor playing with his kids while Carol and Steve sat on the sofa watching them. Margaret walked in first with Lauren behind her. Margaret took a seat on the floor next to her husband while Lauren sat down on the big comfy armchair a crossed from everyone else.

Lauren looked out of the living room window and began to play with her necklace that held Speed's wedding band. "I miss you so much, Tim," she whispered softly so that no one could hear it but herself. "Please God, I need a miracle," she prayed.

* * *

Later on that night, everyone was still sitting in the living room, around the Christmas tree chatting and laughing, except Lauren. She was sitting on the floor looking at the photos she had shot earlier, and quickly removing the ones she didn't want.

"Aunt Lauren," Aaron said quietly as he walked over to his aunt.

Lauren looked up from her MacBook. "Yeah, honey."

"We're going to watch The Polar Express. You want to watch it with us? You've never seen it before."

"Um…" Lauren didn't know what to say. Of course she wanted to watch it. She had been wanting to see it for a while now, but after Speed's death she couldn't bring herself to go see it. The Polar Express was and still is a special book to Lauren. The book was the ice-breaker that started her and Speed's relationship.

"Mommy said grandma use to read it to you guys all the time when you were my age. You have to watch the movie now, Aunt Lauren."

"Yeah! Please Aunt Lauren," Briar-Rose piped in.

Lauren looked at her niece and nephew then her sister. She wanted help. Margaret shrugged her shoulders letting Lauren handle this. Sighing Lauren said, "Go ahead and start the movie, and I'll be there in a few minutes. I need some fresh air… okay." Aaron nodded his little head and ran back to the sofa where his father was sitting.

In the process of saving her work, shutting off her laptop, and standing up, Lauren bumped into the Christmas tree knocking off one ornament. She bent down to pick it up; the ornament was a small silver bell like the one in, The Polar Express. She felt a strange sensation go through her entire body. It was telling her she needed to be down by the water; Mark and Margaret lived on a beach front property.

"Lauren," Margaret said. Lauren didn't hear her. She was still staring down and the bell ornament. "Lauren," she said again this time touching her shoulder.

Lauren jumped a little. "W-what?"

"You okay?" she asked concerned.

Without taking her eyes off the bell, Lauren said, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine… um go ahead and watch the movie without me. I'm going to go down by the water and think for a while, and I have this feeling like that's where I should be… right now."

"Lauren, you said you would watch the movie," Carol piped in.

Lauren looked at her mother. "I know. I'm sorry, but I just… I just have to be down there. Why I don't know."

"Okay," was all Margaret said. With that, Lauren grabbed her camera, mini tripod, and headed down to the beach.


	5. Chapter 5

***One Week Before Christmas***

Lauren awoke to the sound and smell of coffee being made. Christmas was now only a week away. Lauren walked into the kitchen. She was shocked to see Horatio making the coffee. Why wasn't he at work? "Horatio? Why aren't you at work?" Lauren asked groggily as she grabbed some orange juice from the refrigerator.

Horatio looked over at her and smiled. "Because Marisol has a check-up appointment, just to make sure everything is okay with her and the babies. Calleigh's watching over the lab for me until I can get there." Horatio grabbed Lauren a glass from one of the upper cabinets and handed it to her. "Where's Maya?"

Maya was Lauren's two year old German shepherd. She had always wanted a dog, but working long and odd hours at the lab had stopped her. So after she decided to leave CSI, Lauren thought it would be a good time to get a dog. She also thought it might help her cope with Speed's death; Maya helped a little.

"She's curled up in bed. I'm going to take her to the dog park in a little bit before I go to the coffee shop. She's been cooped up in the house for a while. I've been so busy these past few weeks with all these photo shoots and editing photos for my clients. I feel like working back at the lab would give me better hours," Lauren joked.

Horatio smiled back. "You know, you're always welcome to come back whenever you want to. We miss you at the lab, especially Eric."

Lauren looked down at her glass full of orange juice. "I know. He tells me every day, but I just... I just can't. If I can't even bring myself to walk in there, how am I supposed to go back to working there?"

Just then, Marisol walked out into the kitchen dressed in a pair of white skinny jeans and a bright flowy floral tank top. You could see a tiny baby bump. Behind her came Maya. She walked up next to Lauren, and rested her head on one of Lauren's legs. She wanted her food. Lauren got up to feed her.

"Good morning sweetheart," Horatio said to his wife. He got up and gave her a little kiss on the cheek. "Did you sleep well?

"Yeah, I slept really well. I had a couple great dreams too," Marisol said planting a kiss on her husband's lips.

"Maya," came Lauren's voice from the back of the kitchen. "No, baby girl! You can't stick your head in your food bin and eat your food."

Horatio and Marisol both looked at each other and laughed. "I guess someone is hungry," said Marisol.

"I guess so," said Horatio handing his wife a cup of orange juice along with her pre-natal vitamins.

"Drink up. You need you vitamins."

Marisol took them, popped them in her mouth, and drank them down with her cup of orange juice. "Yum," she said sarcastically. She could taste the pills as then moved down her throat. "You think they would make these or at least try and make these things taste halfway decent."

Horatio half laughed and smiled. "You hungry?"

"Yes, I'm starving!"

Lauren walked back into the kitchen with a smile on her face. "My dog acts like she's never been feed. She literally just stuck her head into her food bin and started chowing down."

Horatio went to the fridge and pulled out a big bowl of fruit salad Lauren had made yesterday, and some eggs, butter, and shredded cheddar cheese. Lately, Marisol had been craving cheese omelets and fruit salad. "Lauren, sweetheart you want some breakfast?" Horatio asked.

"Um, yeah, I'll have some," Lauren said taking a seat at the kitchen table next to Marisol.

"So, Lauren, how's work going? I know you've been busy the past few weeks," Marisol said picking out a few strawberries from the bowl.

Lauren sighed. "Yeah, work has been crazy, but I love it so it's really not work. I did this shoot for this old couple. I think it was a few days ago. I believe they were in their mid to late seventies. The husband was a Vietnam Veteran, and his wife used to work as a nurse in his unit… I think that's what you would call them. Anyway, they were so cute and the husband told me so many stories about his time in the military, and the traveling he had done. They were celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. It was one of the best shoots I've ever done."

"Oh! I can't wait to see them," Marisol said excitedly.

Lauren put some fruit into the bowl Horatio had just put down in front of her. "Well, you're going to have to wait a little longer. I haven't edited them yet. I'll be doing that today after I take Maya to the bark park."

All of a sudden, Horatio, Marisol, and Lauren heard four big paws scramble to get into the kitchen. Maya heard the words 'bark park.' It was her favorite place to go. She loved playing with all the dogs. In fact she was partial to another German shepherd named, Rocco.

"Maya, not now. I have to eat first," Lauren said laughing. Maya groaned and look up at her owner with the said puppy eyes. "Baby girl, don't look at me like that. Give me an hour, okay." Maya admitted defeat and plopped down on the floor next to Lauren.

Horatio continued to make their breakfast and the girls continued to make small chat.

"Hey Lauren," Marisol said as she picked out some more fruit from the fruit salad. "What is your work schedule like toward the end of January? Horatio and I were thinking of doing an early maternity photo shoot, and we were hoping you could make some baby announcements for us to send to all of our family and friends."

Lauren put down her fork and grabbed her daily planner that she had left on the table last night. "The end of January… I have a wedding the twenty-eight, and then I have a sporting event to shoot on the thirty-first," Lauren said flipping through the pages of January. "I'm free at the beginning and mid-January. I have a lot to catch up on from the month of December. If you want, I could put you down for January twenty-fifth if you still wanted it toward the end of the month. It'll give me a couple days to go through all the photos and get them edited for you guys."

Marisol looked at Horatio and smiled. "Is that day okay for you, babe? I mean with work and all," she said hopeful.

Horatio smiled. "It's perfect sweetheart. I'll make sure work doesn't interfere."

"What time do you think is good, Lauren?" Marisol asked.

"Um… how about in the early morning? It'll depend on the weather too, but the colors will be beautiful. If you want studio shots I can rent a studio for a day. So just let me know," Lauren answered as she penciled in Horatio and Marisol for an early morning shoot on the twenty-fifth of January.

"Sounds good," said Horatio planting a kiss on Marisol's forehead.

"Also, Horatio, if you can't get out of work in the morning we can move the time to the late evening maybe or depending on when the sunset is. I love late evening shoots. The colors are just we can head to the studio if you want studio shots," Lauren added.

"Sounds good! I'm so excited. Thank you so much for doing this, Lauren. It means the world to me and Horatio, and I'd never thought I would be able to have kids after everything that's happened," Marisol exclaimed.

Lauren half smiled. "It's not a problem. And I'm so happy for you guys. You deserve every bit of this happiness. You've both been through a lot."

Horatio saw a little tear roll down Lauren's cheek as he set her breakfast down in front of her. He knew Christmas time was a hard time for her, being that Speed had asked Lauren to marry him at midnight Christmas morning. Then the following year they had gotten married on New Year's Eve. They would've been married five years.

Horatio also knew that they had lost a baby even though they had never mentioned it. He had seen it in their faces; he had see it in the way they went about themselves. They hadn't been their normal happy selves. He had heard them talking about baby names at one point. He even remembered Lauren saying that if the baby had been a boy she wanted to name him, Alex James Speedle. Speed thought they would be having a little girl.

For a brief moment he thought about asking her if she was alright, but thought again. He would be asking a question he already knew the answer too. "Sweetheart, if this is too much for you we don't have to do it. We can get someone else," Horatio said softly.

"What! No, Horatio. I'm fine. I would love to do it. I want to do it. You guys have done so much for me. This is my way of paying you back," Lauren said quickly wiping away her tears. He gave her a look. "Really, Horatio I'm fine. I can do it. This is what I do for a living now. I've done more maternity shoots than I can count."

"Okay, but if you change your mind..."

It was Lauren's turn to give him a look. "I'm not going to change my mind, Horatio."

Horatio gave her a hug before sitting down next to Marisol. The food was served.


End file.
